Dude, Seriously?!

(I'm trying to see in how many post titles I can use "dude."  I...need a new hobby.)

People, did General Hospital really kill off another Quartermaine?!  I avoid spoilers and I was seriously shocked that Emily died.  If in fact Emily died.  This is all a Helena plot or something, right?  I thought Natalia Livingston just re-signed?  I'm so confused.  And emotional!  Am I just PMSing, or was it totally possible to be emotionally moved today by:

• Nikolas
• Jason (!)
• Elizabeth
• Spinelli (!!)
• Lulu
• Sonny (!!!)
• Carly (!!!!)

???

I have no idea how to deal with the fact that GH both surprised me and turned out several consecutive decent hours of television.  It's upsetting my entertainment world view.  Like, do I also have to start thinking Benicio Del Toro is sexy (and not desperately in need of a shower and shave), that Britney is a good mom who's just misunderstood, and that Tom Cruise's new movie doesn't look like it's going to give new meaning to cinematic suckage?

Although I did briefly detour from "oddly moved" to the more customary WTF-ville when I pondered why, if they had access to horse tranquilizers and a syringe, someone jab Zacchara with them eons ago?  Or use it for the semi-annual fishing line surgery?

This effing show.

Comments

[Beth R.]

Don't worry Becca..they will revert to type soon enough...after all notice they didn't feel the need to have her oldest friend find out yet...(Seriously why the Eff does Lucky not get to know right away? He's the reason Liz and Emily became friends in the effing first place!)..and I'm sure her funeral will play just like Alan's did...all about JASON'S pain....and Michael's...and Morgan's....cause sweeps will be over soon and then we must revert to all Jason all the time.

And apparently Natalia pulled a JJ and just signed a few month contract extentsion and let us all think it was a full contract extension....or she's making BANK with the buy out clause.

[Beth R.]

oh and yes..yes he did just do that...but don't worry Guza promises he's not trying to single-handedly kill every Quatermaine, they will regain status as a major family in PC and swears he has tricks up his sleeve that we don't expect. Which translated from Guza twaddle generally means "I have no plans to do jack with the Qs since I said this exact same thing last year and the year before that.But on the off chance I'm speaking the truth, I mean I'll give Jason three more scenes a year with his actual family since he now understands the power of blood ties and all."

Emily's been dead to me since she turned her back on Lucky...I was not moved at all. I've also been called heartless and cold so you know...take it what you will.

[KLD]

First off, I'm totally up for seeing how many titles you can start with dude.

Second, let's not get carried away here. Today's episode may have been good and emotional. Give them a week--two max--and they won't even remember who Emily is.

If you need any further reminders of why to hate GH, just remember how many Q's there were at the start of Guza's reign of terror and then count how many there are now.

[kazou]

Dude! Seriously. I was stunned by the lack of major suckage. ;o) I'm not quite as gung-ho as Becca but damn if this wasn't a pretty good hour of tv. In terms of reactions to Em's death, the acting was all over the board though. Tyler Christopher (whom I generally like unless he does his patented "snot-cry") was laughably bad. I didn't get brain-meltdown/shock/denial from him so much as "Oh yeah ... yeah ... she really IS okay guys." Carly's screeching was blessedly (and surprisingly) silent but both Laura Wright and Ingo R's reactions seemed so toned-down as to be casual asides to a beloved character's death. (Ingo especially -- I read NO pain until well towards the end of the hour when Jax and Carly were quietly grief-stricken by the whole thing.)

This probably isn't a popular opinion hereabouts but I think Steve Burton deserves some MAJOR props for his performance today. He seemed so ... devastated. And his own patented look -- the "I'm constipated or herniating a disc while lifting something heavy" emoting only flickered across his face for a brief second. Between his tears today and the way his voice broke the other day when he told Liz that he just ... just ... wanted his child ... well, I was pretty impressed. And for once I don't really have a problem if Guza tries to make it "all about Jason's pain." Yeah, I'd love the focus to be on Monica but let's get real, even if it wasn't all about Jason, there's a long list of other people Guza will write for before he'd deign to give Leslie Charleson a scene. Jason, Sonny and Lulu (especially) would have to be dead and buried (I'll be surprised if it's not all about LULU frankly) ... hell, SPINELLI and maybe even Epiphany would have to be canned before Guza would give Leslie C. a break. Anyway, Jason and Em have always shared a deep bond; she's the one person who has always loved him without reservations. More to the point, she's one of the only people he's ALLOWED to love him that way and to whom he's given back that love. I hope her death and its effect on Jason has some weight and long-lasting reverberations. (Wouldn't it be lovely if they actually had Jason realize Em was dead because of Sonny and Zaccara ... and gee, the mob lifestyle? Wouldn't it be grand if Jason realized he couldn't bear for his child to fall prey to the same fate? Nahhhhh ... never happen. They'll pay lip service to it then have Jason realize it wasn't Sonny's fault after all.)

Speaking of Sonny, I never thought I'd say the words but Maurice really brought it when he saw Emily's dead body. Of course, that just pisses me off when I realize he's capable of truly good work and instead phones it in more often than not. ;o)

Love Becky Herbst and don't usually think the snide remarks about her acting are justified but her initial reaction was pretty lame. She said "Oh, did Zaccara hurt [Nikolas]?" in the tone of a mom asking if the neighbor kid was mean, not like a crazed murderer might have gotten to Nikky. It was a bizarre disconnect for me until she actually saw Emily. THEN she redeemed herself for me. When she fell across Em's body and sobbed as if her heart was breaking, MY heart broke in that moment.

All in all, some really good work!

[Becca]

Well, unpopular or not, Kazou, I agree -- I thought Steve Burton was fantastic yesterday. If only he would be that committed every day, and if only the writers would use Emily's death as the impetus for Jason to finally get out of the mob, I would start printing up the "I heart Jason" t-shirts by the dozen.

[Aydee]

I think it's always a little hard to believe and sad when a longterm character dies, and that was my reaction yesterday, even though I'd seen the spoilers and even though I've always been pretty neutral on the character in question. Don't worry, Beth R.,: I'll be very surprised if Lucky doesn't get a reaction scene; he just wasn't on the show yesterday (thought it'd have been nice to hear Liz or Lulu say, "We have to find Lucky.") Kazou, I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for Jason to wake up. They already intimated it could happen when Alan died and he had flashes of memory of his Q life . . . and where'd that go? And then there's Sonny's convo with Kate yesterday -- it was the most direct I can recall him ever being about his love of being a mobster and his unwillingness to give it up despite the risks to his loved ones.

[Elizabeth Kerri Mahon]

I find it amazing to that Guza who after all killed off AJ, Justus and Alan, and now Emily, would say that the Quartermaines are going to be front and center, unless it's all about Jason. Frankly I'm surprised that they bothered to bring back Ned and Dylan for the funeral. As for Natalia, she and Guza gave a lame interview to SOD where they both claimed this was in the works from the moment she resigned.

[Dawn]

Becky is the best actress on GH, she proved that Yesterday when she broke down over Em's body. I lost it.

[Beth R.]

Aydee- Oh I'm sure Lucky will get a reaction..I just read spoilers and know exactly when that is coming. And i'm a little pissy abotu the timing is all. Also if they are going to have Lulu remind the viewers of The Four Musketeers...then would it kill them to show it? Lucky should have been there yesterday is all I'm saying.

Again..Lucky fan first....bitter always. Goes with the territory. Ignore if you must.

I have no issue with Jason being in pain and regretting his beloved sister's death...and hey if it actually would facilitate a move of him out of the mob...then bring it on...but I have to agree with KLD....in two weeks Emily's death will be nothing more than a passing mention and the justification to continue a mob war I'm guessing.

[Titian]

i cried. i really did. the water just started leaking from my eyes. call tyler christopher over the top all you want, but his foray into delusion set it all off. it was heartbreaking. jason, sonny, elizabeth, each of their reactions just made it harder and harder to let emily go. i found myself wondering how they could kill off a character who was so well loved, if not by the viewing public, but by her fictional friends and family? it hurt damnit. it really did.

the only parts of the episode that kept me from moaning and keeling ala nikolas were the scenes involving carly and carly jr. i abhor them way too much to become involved in anything they're doing, even if it's mourning a character i liked. you wonder where the producers priorities are when both carly and Screwloose were running around begging for trouble, encountered it, and managed to escape alive. when i'm shown some mercy and someone gets rid of these irksome characters, i'm going to by a bottle of Christal and celebrate the way i did when courtney became not so dearly departed.

if there was ever any doubt about whether or not sonny can be redeemed, the doubting's over. he's a criminal and he likes it. to elaborate on his stance about being a mobster, i'd like to quote Danny Vermin:
"I like what I am doing right now, I enjoy collecting protection money, putting whores to work, loan sharking, I enjoy planting bombs in people's cars, these are a few of my favorite things".

[Sharon]

I also agree there was a lot of confusion in print and on the net about whether or not Natalia Livingston had actually resigned with GH. I also ready the issue of Soap Opera Digest which had a cover story about Emily's death before it was actually revealed on GH. However, it also stated that Natalia hasn't yet taped her last episode under the "Who's Staying" section of the magazine. Maybe her death is just a dream and this part of the storyline is just a hallucination by Nicholas during one his dreams and/or blackout.

[Becca]

I recognize the irony, but I actually try not to read SOD articles or regular features that contain spoilers, and I'm so used to the headlines turning out to be misleading (understandably so) that I truly didn't realize this is where they were going with Emily. Sometimes I wish spoilers didn't exist -- maybe GH is a much better show than we think?

No, I know, that was crazy talk.

[Titian]

"maybe GH is a much better show than we think?

No, I know, that was crazy talk."

super crazy! the show sucks and sweeps are the only bright spot because they're the only time things actually happen. apparently guza & crew can't get their write on unless they've got blood, death and explosions to build story around.

[Beth R.]

complete crazy talk! GH good? Becca step away from the Kool Aid! Step away from the Kool Aid!

I think the Natalia staying for now according to SOD means we'll be seeing ghost Emily, flashback Emily and most importantly death scene re-enactment Emily for awhile now.....

[Danny]

I think I read that she'd be staying on the show through May when her contract ends. Sorry, but I'm just not buying that Emily is actually dead.

It has to be a Helena plot... right? Those mercenaries weren't quite the mob type we'd expect from one of the mob families. Trevor surrounded himself with goons like Sonny, but not professional soldiery guys like the Cassadines always did.

Regardless, I think there's some slight of hand going on right now in regards to Natalia's future on the show. I'm positive I read she re-signed, so maybe the confusion about her status stems from Guza and co actually caring about the fans and trying to keep us invested in this show.

Did I just write that? This is the same man that killed off several major characters, wrote Robert as a deadbeat dad, ruined Holly Sutton, and did all of this via a virus spread by a freakin' monkey(!?!) whose origins were never really explained.

Still, this is the first time I've ever really gotten Natalia Livingston. I've always regarded her as a piss poor substitute for Amber Tamblyn, but her corpse acting is top notch. Hell, I'm even slightly on board with Liz and Jason. As long as Becky keeps knocking these scenes out of the park, I may actually grow to tolerate this show, instead of hating with a passion.

[zarathelawyer]

I have to agree that everyone did a pretty great job, especially Jason, Liz, Sonny - the choke when he saw her body was perfect - and Nikolas. I also thought that Carly was great in the scenes with Nikolas, though I agree with kazou that I wasn't really feeling it from Ingo until right at the end of Thursday. He was the one that seemed detached, or maybe it just stood out much further because Carly was being quiet, appropriate, aware of other's feelings and sympathetic for once.

[L2_S&K]

Ever since I heard they were going to kill off Emily Q, I have been watching and waiting. The emotion displayed by Jason and Liz was off the charts...I totally bought it and I shed some tears. I don't usually watch this show. I have only seen the foursome of Liz, Lucky, Emily, and Nicholas in dvd copies of the reign of Stefan Cassadine and I am sure my tears were for the loss of the character built on talent of Amber Tamblyn. Either way, she was a legacy character and I felt the loss.

loved tc..and nl did a great job playing corspe..didn't see her breathe once, on the first day..but friday, i saw it..and why was carjax in that scene on thursday with nik?? where was nik's brother lucky?? or his longtime friend, robin?? carjax stole spencer from nik last year, and they are the ones who try to 'help' him now?? wtf??

[Danny]

This deserves a HUGE mention even though it's from the next show... Well, not exactly a this, but a she. Jane freakin' Elliot. With four words, "I don't believe you," she managed to convey so many things in such a simple,beautiful, and poignant way.

She secretly loved Emily. She treated her like shit. She was wrong about her. This is going to devastate the entire Quartermaine family. This death is wrong.

I just pray they handle the inevitable Ghost Alan appearance with as much dignity, finesse, and grace as befits Jane Eliot and Stuart Damon in regards to the death of a beloved legacy character like Emily.

[Chad]

I agree that the acting was actually quite good, although the whole effect was undercut by how freakin' sick I am of long-time characters being callously killed off just to add impact to cheesy event storylines or one-dimensional villains.

[Carl]

Emily died when Amber Tamblyn left the show. She was shoehorned into the family in the first place and for the last 10 years (starting around the time Emily became Jason's head cheerleader) or so acted like she was better than them. Natalia Livingtston can now move on to her future career in something I hope I never see, where hair-flinging and heavy breathing is considered brilliant acting.

I just find it strange, and hilarious, that Tracy, the longtime black sheep of the Quartermaine family, is now practically the only Quartermaine left.

[Kristina]

Shame on you, GH. The one advantage that soaps have over tv shows/movies is HISTORY. Since they have been around for 30 years they are able to create characters and family lines that last. Like the Quartermaines, Spencers, and Joneses. Since when do we have writers/producers who are not creative enough to think of any plot for Sweeps Week that doesn't include killing off a major character? In a ridiculous strangulation that doesn't even give Emily the justice she deserves! I mean, honestly, if you were going to end her character you sould have let her die of cancer and have a real, emotional, death scene. They cheapened her death and I'm ashamed to say I've been watching this show for 22 years. GH needs to come up with story lines that are both interesting and don't revolve around death. The Nurses' Ball, a major hit with fans, allows them to host a party (everyone loves seeing their favorites dress up), show off the actors' talents, (there's nothing like Robin and Stone's "Romeo and Juliet"), and bring in a current issue (AIDS) that speaks to people's emotions. THAT is what I want to see during Sweeps, not this nonsense of a maniac murder, whom we have no attachment to. Wake up General Hospital.

[Beth]

I'm giving props to Natalia Livingston. Yeah, I know it's just not "hip" to do that online, but I'm giving them to her anyway. I'll never say that she's the best actress ever, or on daytime drama for that matter, but I've been enjoying her performance on this crap show for almost five years, and she's definitely been one of the few highlights. Amber Tamblyn was fantastic in the role, but I think Natalia brought a grace and gentleness to the role that was missing before. On a personal note, I got the chance to meet her a couple of times, and she's gracious and sweet, and took the time to engage me in conversation. Also, she actually remembered me the second time I met her, which I was completely thrown by. She's one of the truly nice people in the world.

And I give props to Emily. And Emily and Nikolas. She was one of the few female characters, outside of Robin, left on this show that didn't screech, pout, manipulate, or lie their way to what they wanted. And Nik and Em to me defined what makes a great soap couple - they break up, they go into other relationships, but they always find their way back to each other. That's what I want out of a soap opera, not Jason and Sonny's Mob Chick of the Month Club.

So kudos to Natalia for leaving this sinking ship of a show and moving on to greener pastures. Guza's proven to be a creatively bankrupt hack who only goes for the Shock and Awe. He doesn't have a clue how to write anything beyond mysogyny and gun fights, so he and GH can suck it.